Actor Darren Criss Speaks on His Portrayal of LGBTQ TV Characters

Per Deadline, Darren Criss has announced that his time playing different LGBTQ characters has come to a close. His acting credits include several character-driven roles that have spanned many television, film, and stage works.

Criss is best known to audiences for his portrayal of Blaine Anderson on the Fox musical dramedy hit series, Glee, as the lead vocalist of the Dalton Academy Warblers. He also recently scored a Golden Globe nomination and Emmy win, for his role as the real-life Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s produced, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.

The actor, who identifies as straight, has also acted in Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a musical that follows the titular character Hedwig Robinson, a transgender East German singer of a fictional rock and roll band. The show’s other supporting characters are members of the LGBTQ community as well.

During Clorox’s What Comes Next in New York event, Criss said he has enjoyed the gay characters he has played, but he wants to make sure he “won’t be another straight boy taking a gay man’s role.”

A contemporary decision to make, considering Hollywood is currently attempting to represent more accurate and authentic life experiences of marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community and other ethnic minorities. Criss has also stated that he “no longer feels comfortable playing these roles and that it is unfortunate.”

“The reason I say that is because getting to play those characters is inherently a wonderful dramatic experience,” he said. “It has made for very, very compelling and interesting people.”

Audiences can expect to see Criss in the upcoming Roland Emmerich-directed World War II film, Midway, as he has recently been cast as Lieutenant Eugene Lindsey. Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Ed Skrein, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Mandy Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Nick Jonas have all signed on for supporting roles as well. The Wes Tooke-scripted drama will be based on major battle between the U.S. and Japan during WWII; a possible remake of the 1976 film.